Timing of prison site announcement questioned

ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope has raised questions about the timing of the Federal Government announcing it is prepared to make land available at Majura for an ACT prison.

The Majura site was the ACT Government's preferred location for the jail but it was forced to choose another site after the Commonwealth refused to give up the land.

Mr Stanhope says he will consider the latest proposal but is not prepared to abandon work on a site at Hume.

He says it is interesting the latest offer from the Liberal Member for Eden Monaro, Gary Nairn, has been made ahead of a federal election.

"A sitting member who is obviously very concerned about his capacity to hold his seat is now basically the messenger from the Deputy Prime Minister, a message of a backdown in relation to a stubborn refusal to meet the needs of the ACT in its need for that bit of land," he said.